Slide fixture with two-way motion



Lima) SLIDE FIXTURE WITH TWO-WAY MOTION Filed July 29. 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 LQWI I 49 xo Carl Oscar Lassy IN V EN TOR.

new By ym; 3%

July 26, 1960 c. o. LASSY 2,946,247

sum: FIXTURE WITH TWO-WAY MOTION Filed July 29, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

Fi 6 1/0 49 g V Carl Oscar L05 90 INVEN July 26, 1960 c. o. LASSY 2, 47

SLIDE FIXTURE WITH TWO-WAY MOTION Filed July 29, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. .9

Fig. /0 I40 154 I52 IV Carl Oscar Lassy IN V EN TOR.

Law- By yowfim Hiiiifi An object of the present invention is to provide a slide fixture having a fixture body mounted for two-way sliding movement for positioning a workpiece on the body in the desired relation to a machine tool.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a slide fixture body which may incorporate a vise there- States Patent F on of a particular chip shedding construction for facilitating the clamping of workpieces and eliminating the possibility of chips of metal lodging in the gripping surfaces.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a slide fixture body having a jig plate supported therein for locating the slide fixture body in the desired position.

Still another important feature of the present invention is to provide a slide fixture having two-way motion in which the slide fixture body is provided with stopper mechanisms for limiting the movement in both directions.

Other objects of the present invention will reside in its simplicity of construction, ease of operation, adaptation for various uses and its relatively inexpensive manufacturing cost.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the aceompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a plan view of the slide fixture of the present invention incorporating the locating mechanism for positioning the slide fixture in the desired positions;

Figure 2 is a transverse, vertical sectional View taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 2-2 of Figure 1 illustrating the details of construction of the slide fixture;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane passing along section line 33 of Figure 1 illustrating further structural details of the device of Figure 1; 1

Figure 4 is a plan view of the slide fixture having a device mounted on the slide fixture body with the device being constructed for shedding chips;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 55 of Figure 4 illustrating the details of construction of this form of the slide fixture;

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 6-6 of Figure 5 illustrating the details of construction of the slide fixture;

Figure 7 is a transverse, vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 7-7 of Figure 5 illustrating further structural details of the slide fixture with drill pressed vise thereon;

Figure 8 is a plan view of the slide fixture having 2,946,247 Patented July 26, 1960 two-way motion with adjustable stops for limiting the movement in both directions;

Figure 9 is a plan view similar to Figure 8 with the 1 al 10 generally designates the slide fixture of the present invention which is illustrated as being attached to a machine work table 12 which may be conveniently described as a drill press table although the present invention will find utility in various types of machine tools. Upstanding from and rigid with the machine table 12 is a pair of bearing blocks 14 held to the machine table 12 by fastening bolts 16 with a pair of spaced parallel rods 18 being supported by the bearing blocks 14 with the rods 18 being disposed in spaced parallel relation to the machine table 12. The rods 18 are in the form of slide rods for guiding the movement of a slide fixture block or carriage 20 having a pair of parallel bores 22 extending therethrough which are slidably received on the rods 18 whereby the block 20 may slide longitudinally on the guide rods :18. The block 20 is provided with a pair of transverse raised portions 24 having spaced parallel transverse bores 26 extending therethrough for slidably receiving transverse or crossed slide rods 28.

The terminal ends of the transverse or cross slide rods or guide rods 28 are anchored to depending legs 30 of a slide fixture body or plate 32 which is disposed in overlying relation to the block 20 and which may move laterally in relation to the block 20 as guided by the slide rods 28 while the block 20 may move longitudinally of the guide rods 18 thus enabling the body or work supporting plate 32 to move in directions perpendicular to each other while the upper surface of the plate or body 32 will maintain a horizontal disposition. 'Ihe depending legs 30 terminate slightly above the upper surface of the machine table 12 for clearance during normal movement of the body 32 and for providing support for the body 32 when downward pressure is exerted on the body 32 by a tool engaging with a workpiece supported on the body 32.

As illustrated, a pair of bushing plates 34 are mounted by upstanding brackets 36 on the machine table 1-2 with the bushing plates being secured in position by a pair of fasteners 38 and a pair of positioning dowels 40 for main-. taining a rigid bushing plate 34. At the outer end of each of the bushing plates 34, there is provided a drill bushing 42 for guiding the drill or tool during its working operation.

For locating the slide fixture body 32, an elongated visual indicator plate 44 is mounted on the machine table 12 and is provided with index lines 46 at the work stations of the slide fixture body 32. A pointer 48 is mounted on the slide fixture body 32 by a fastening member 49 or the like for registry with the index lines 46 duringmovement of the body 32 along the guide rods 18 for purposes of orientating the plate 34 in relation to the work stations or drill bushings '42 as far as movement of the body 32 in one direction is concerned.

Each work station is also provided with a locating block 50 having a vertically extending socket 52 therein pro: vided with a compression coil spring 54 in the bottom thereof and a locating pin 56 against the upper end of the spring 54. A transversely extending bore 58 is pr0- vided in the block 50 and is provided with diverging upper and lower walls for pivotally receiving an elongated operating handle 60 having the inner end thereof terminally secured to the block 50 by virtue of a pivot pin 62. The operating handle 60 extends through an opening 64 in the locating pin 56 with the opening 64 having wall surfaces which converge outwardly from a central point for permitting reciprocation of the pin 56 when the operating handle 60 is depressed or released. The outer end of the operating handle 61 is provided with an up turned portion 66 having a finger receiving abutment 68 on the free end thereof whereby the operating handle 60 may be depressed for retracting the locatingpin 56. The locating pin 56 is provided with a tapered upper end for engagement in a tapered aperture 70 in a jig plate 72 which is supported from the depending: legs 36 either by suitable detachable fastening means or by engagement in the notches 74 in the depending legs 39 thus positively locating and locking the slide fixture body 32 in relation to the drill bushin'gs42 at each work station.

Anti-fraction ball bushings may be used without table supports for a highly sensitive sliding action and one which requires a minimum of exertion. The indicating device as well as the locating pin arrangement and block 59 may be optional depending upon the particular installation of the device.

The locating block 50, the jig plate, the visual locating finder simplifies the construction of the drill jigs and increases productions in that holes can be drilled much closer on center with the drilling being limited only by the diameter of the locating pin used. As an example, where five diiferent size holes need to be drilled, use a five spindle drill press. The locating pins may be made in five difierent sizes, with the locating holes in the jig plate made accordingly. The largest holes would be located with the first locating pin, which would be the largest and could not enter any of the jig plate holes for the other succeeding holes. Therefore, the operator could not commit an error by drilling the wrong size hole in the wrong place. In addition, the visual hole locator attached to the front of the drill press table with the pointer attached to the slide fixture aids in the location of the holes to be drilled and this visual locating plate 44 could have either the drill size stamped next to the reference mark 46 or the drill spindle number could be used, for nstance, N0. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and so forth. This plate is used only for rapidly bringing the slide fixture to locatron and the locating pin 56 would have a tapered but substantially cylindrical upper end which would automatically be forced into the jig plate by the spring thus lining the workpiece mounted on the slide fixture into the exact location. This feature of automatically aligning the workpiece in proper location would result in longer wear ofthe drill busings 42, longer wear of the drill, rearner, tap or counterbore and will also result in greater accuracy and increased production with straighter holes being provided with little skill required. In instances where the holes to be drilled or tapped are all in line, no visual locating plate would be necessary as the locating pin would automatically snap into place as each location was progressively reached.

Referring now specifically to Figures 47 of the draw-' ings, a modified form of the invention is illustrated and is generally designated by the numeral 80 and the slide fixture 8b is mounted on a machine table 82 having single bearing blocks 84 for supporting a single guide or slide rod 86 which is slidably received in a slide block or carriage 88 which also is provided with a transverse raised portion hit having a transverse guide or slide rod 92 ,extending therethrough with the terminal ends thereof being secured to depending edges 94 of a slide fixture body $6. The depending edges 94 terminate in'slightly spaced relation to the machine table 82 with the bottom of the block. 88 being slightly above the plane of the lower ends of the depending edges 94 thus reducing the over-all height of the slide fixture 86 to a minimum.

The ends of the body 96 are provided with upstanding end members 98 and 100 which are interconnected by a pair of parallel guide rods 102 which extend through bores 104 in a movable vise jaw 106 which is movable in opposed relation to the end member 98. The end member 100 has a bore 108 extending thr'ethrough for threadedly receiving an operating rod 110 which is provided with the usual T-handle 112 at the outer end and is provided with a grooved end portion 114 received in a socket. in the movable jaw 106 with a substantially U-shaped retainer plate 116 rotatably securing the threaded member 111 to the movable jaw 106 whereby rotation of the threaded rod 110 will cause reciprocation of the jaw 166 relative to the stationary upstanding end or jaw 98 for providing a vise construction for holding a workpiece in alignment with a tool so that the workpiece may be moved in any direction for proper alignment with the tool. The jaws 106 and 98 are each provided with a recess 118 at the upper edge thereof with this recess having a very small horizontal surface 120 and a relatively elongated downwardly inclined surface 122 which acts as a self-shedding chip eliminator whereby any chips engaging the inclined surface 122 will automatically fall 011 of the jaws and will not become engaged between the jaws and the workpiece thus substantially eliminating this problem. The depth and thickness of the jaw 106 as well as the jaw 98 are such'that no measurable lateral deflection thereof will occur.

The slide fixture with the vise thereof designated by numeral 80 could also be provided with a jig plate attached in a similar manner as shown in Figures l-3 and this could be used for duplicate routing with the shape on it being cut into the jig plate and as the slide fixture with the vise thereon was pushed around on the machine table, the fixture would be automatically restrained in movement to the shape in the jig plate.

Referring now specifically to Figures 8-11, another modified form of the invention is shown and is generally designated by the numeral and is employed in conjunction with a machine table which is not specifically illustrated in these figures. The device is somewhat similar to that shown in Figures 4-7 and includes a single longitudinal slide rod 132 supported in a suitable manner such as by pillow blocks 134 which could be located in any convenient position. The slide fixture block 136 is slidably received on the rod 132 and slidably receives a transverse slide rod 138 having the terminal ends thereof secured to the depending end edges 140 of a slide fixture body or plate 142 which may be employed for holding a workpiece with apertures 144 being provided for facilitating this use. The end edges 140 are provided with depending legs .146 which terminate just above the machine table for the same purpose as the legs in the other forms of the invention. As shown in Figure 9, the block 136 is provided with a setscrew 148 for locking the block to the rod 132 and the block 136 is also provided with a sets'crew 150 for locking the block to the transverse slide rod 138 thus locking the plate 142 in adjusted position. In lieu of this, the pillow blocks 134 receive and support an elongated threaded rod 152 with each of the threaded rods 152 having an abutment 154 on the inner end thereof and a tool receiving head 156 at the outer end thereof with the inner end or abutment 154 adapted to engage the ends of the block 136 whereby the abutments 154 are of a size that will pass beneath the body or plate 142. For limiting movement of the body or plate 142 in the other direction, the depending end edges 140 threadingly receive a pair of elongated threaded rods 158 having a headed outer end 160 and an abutment 162 on the inner ends for engagement with the ends of the portion of the block 136 receiving the rod 138 thus locking and limiting movement of the plate 142), .in relation to the block 136 in both directions of movement thus locking the plate 142. This device could be used for mounting jigs or attaching vises and the laterally adjustable abutments 154 and 162 could be eliminated and a feed screw substituted therefor whereby the fixture body 142 could be powered in either one or two directions. The use of feed screws would move the workpiece at a desired rate of speed in relation to a machine tool.

The present invention has few actual moving parts and would be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and will save time in the handling of various production items and will assist in properly locating a workpiece in relation to the tool which will perform some operation on the Workpiece.

The plate 142 may be provided with a laterally extending detachable handle 164 for facilitating the manipulation of the plate 142 and the workpiece thereon.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A slide fixture for attachment to a machine table for holding a workpiece in position for receiving a machine tool, said fixture comprising at least one stationary slide rod, means anchoring the stationary rod to the machine table, a slide block slidably mounted on said stationary rod, at least one movable slide rod extending through and slidably received in said block in perpendicular relation to the stationary rod, plate means rigidly connected to said movable rod whereby the plate means may move with the block as it moves longitudinally on the stationary rod and may move transversely of the block with the movable red as it slides in the block, said plate means including depending legs terminating closely adjacent the surface of the machine table for permitting free movement of the plate means when the machine tool is not engaged with the workpiece, said legs engaging the surface of the machine table upon downward pressure being exerted on the workpiece by the tool thereby providing a rigid support for the workpiece.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said stationary rod is provided with a pair of opposed longitudinally adjustable stop members for engagement with opposite sides of said block for limiting the sliding movement thereof, said plate means having a pair of adjustable stop mem bers for engagement with the opposite ends of said block for limiting the longitudinal sliding movement of the movable rod through the block.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein an indicator plate is mounted on the machine table, index lines on said indicator plate, and a pointer on said plate means for registry with the index lines for visually indicating the work stations for the workpiece on the plate means.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein each work station is provided with a vertically movable spring urged locator pin, handle means for retracting said pin, a jig plate supported among the depending legs, said jig plate having an aperture for receiving the pin for accurately locating the workpiece in relation to the machine tool.

5. In combination with a work supporting member, an elongate guide rod rigidly fixed to said supporting member at its opposite ends leaving the entire length thereof intermediate its ends free and unsupported, an elongate slide block provided with a longitudinal bore therethrough slidably receiving said guide rod for movement linearly along said supporting member, a plate overlying said slide block having depending legs at opposite ends thereof straddling said guide rod and spaced apart by an amount substantially greater than the width of said slide block, a support rod carried between said legs and slidably projecting through said slide block at right angles to said guide rod whereby said plate is permitted of compound movement with respect to said supporting member, said legs terminating in closely spaced relation above said supporting member so as to normally clear the same as the plate is positioned with respect thereto, and said guide rod being flexible so as to permit deflection thereof to engage said legs upon said supporting member.

6. In combination with a work supporting member, an elongate guide rod rigidly fixed to said supporting member at its opposite ends leaving the entire length thereof intermediate its ends free and unsupported, an elongate slide block provided with a longitudinal bore therethrough slidably receiving said guide rod for movement linearly along said supporting member, a plate overlying said slide block having depending legs at opposite ends thereof straddling said guide rod and spaced apart by an amount substantially greater than the width of said slide block, a support rod carried between said legs and slidably projecting through said slide block at right angles to said guide rod whereby said plate is permitted of compound movement with respect to said supporting member, said legs terminating in closely spaced relation above said supporting member so as to normally clear the same as the plate is positioned with respect thereto, and said guide rod being flexible so as to permit deflection there of to engage said legs upon said supporting member, a jig plate rigid with said legs disposed parallel to the first mentioned plate and underlying said slide block, said jig plate being provided with a plurality of locating apertures therein spaced longitudinally along the length of said guide rod, a pair of stop members fixed to said supporting member and spaced apart longitudinally with respect to said guide rod and being of a height so as to clear said jig plate thereabove, a vertically reciprocable pin carried by each of said stop members engageable with a corresponding aperture in said jig plate for positively locating said first mentioned plate with respect to the supporting member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,396,302 Wagner NOV. 8, 1921 1,425,275 Paulsen Aug. 8, 1922 2,276,819 Boehmer Q. Mar. 17, 1942 2,674,139 Stern Apr. 6, 1954 2,742,801 Opocensky et a1 Apr. 24,1956 2,779,219 Lassy Jan. 29, 1957 2,816,465 HOImef Dec. 17, 1957 

